The Battle Before Conquest
by themuffinman32
Summary: (Title under consideration) It's roughly three months after Phantom Planet, and Amity has calmed down quite a bit. Danny thinks his ghost troubles may be drawing to an end when the GIW start their scheming again. But this time, they have some brains. They are under the leadership of a young and brilliant man who will stop at nothing to destroy Danny and his friends.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter one:

"BEWARE!" The box ghost's obnoxious voice filled Danny's ears only shortly after his ghost sense activated. He glanced around the Fenton living room, but the ghost was not in sight.

"Here, box ghost…." He called quietly as the ever so familiar silver rings appeared at his waist. "Goin' ghost!" He murmured, knowing that if he was too loud, he could very well attract the attention of his nosy older sister.

Danny continued to look around the room, searching for the specter. Suddenly he spotted the small blue-skin, shuffling through a bunch of cardboard storage boxes that Jack kept around for no apparent reason. "Hi." He smiled, poking the ghost on his shoulder.

"AHHH!" The ghost shouted fearfully, taking shelter inside of his current box.

"Come on, Boxie! Where's your psychotic rant? Out ya' go." Danny chuckled, grabbing and shaking the box until he fell out.

"NO! I DO NOT WISH TO BE CONFINED INSIDE YOUR CYLINDRICAL CONTAINER OF DOOM! I WILL DEFEAT YOU, AND OBTAIN MY BELOVED CORRIGATED SQUARENESS!"

"There it is." Danny smiled.

"Danny? What's going on down there?" He heard Jasmine's call from the stairs.

"NOTHING!" Danny shouted back, quickly pulling out the thermos and trapping the ghost inside. He threw the device under the couch and transferred back into his Fenton-form, just as she ran down the stairs.

"Alright, Danny. Tell me if you see a ghost." She sighed, slowly making her way back to her room.

"I will." Danny lied silently.

It was summer in Amity Park, and Danny, Jazz and Sam were alone at the Fenton house-hold. Maddie and Jack were gone to look for more parts for their newest creation, which was yet to be unveiled.

The incident a couple months ago (Phantom Planet), had made the town go ghost crazy, and things had only gotten easier for Danny. The city-wide ghost shield and constant patrols, DNA tests and various things, made ghost fighting almost disappear overnight. Except Danny's little anger let-out, the poor box ghost. Things in Amity Park couldn't be better for the planet's hero. Not to mention that DOOMED had come out with a new game, and Danny had been free to play it all day on the new plasma screen.

"TAKE THAT!" Danny shouted loudly at the television, pressing a series of buttons on his controller in a ridiculous manner. He rocked back and forth on the couch, completely wrapped up in the game. "HA!" He laughed triumphantly as his digitized foe fell dead.

"Danny?" Sam asked softy as she made her way over to the Hybrid's seat.

"What is it?" Danny murmured, barely bothering to look up from his match.

"I'm a little bit hungry, and I forgot where the pantry is. Again."

"Really, Sam?" Danny chuckled, quickly hitting the pause button. "We've been inseparable friends for what, somewhere around ten years, now? And you still can't remember where the pantry is?"

"Sorry." Sam shrugged sheepishly.

"Come on, then." Danny sighed. He heaved himself out of his chair, setting the game controller down on the coffee table, and started towards the kitchen.

"So, what did you want?" He asked plainly, throwing open the thin pine door to the pantry. The scents of many assorted foods and ectoplasmic residue flooded their senses, and they both drew back for a moment, coughing.

"Peaches." Sam replied, fanning the rancid smell from her face. Danny nodded and grabbed a small can from the center shelf, gladly slamming the door shut behind him.

"Here ya go." He handed her the can with a friendly smile. Sam thanked him with a nod of acknowledgement and took the can opener from the table, clamping it down on the rim of the poor can and turning the handle. After a few moments, she pried it open and fetched a fork, throwing the opener in the sink.

Suddenly, a soft ringing sound erupted from the lab and Danny froze. "What was that?!"

"It's probably just your dad." Sam assured him.

"My parents are at the hardware store." Danny murmured fearfully. "And Jazz is in her room listening to music."

"Then it's a ghost?" Sam started to join in his unease. Very seldom did an easy-to-defeat ghost manage to get into the Fenton's. "Then come on, then!" She grabbed Danny's wrist and ran out of the kitchen and down to Fenton Works.

They, of course, expected to see an evil ghost intent on destroying Amity Park and all of its inhabitants, like Skulker or Youngblood. But as they came into the lab, all they saw was an unconscious young girl. "Dani?!" Danny murmured.

"What happened to her?" Sam asked curiously, kneeling down beside the small hybrid.

"How would I know?" Danny grumbled, nearly inaudible. He reached forward and laid a hand on her forehead. "She's really cold…" As he retracted his hand, ice began to cluster on her face and hands.

"Do you think she could be getting her cryokenisis power?"

"Either that, or she's been locked in a freezer for two hours. But in any case, we need to warm her up."

"How?"

"There's a wood stove we keep in the Fenton stockades."

"You have stockades?!" Sam gasped excitedly with a big smile. "That's so awesome! Why didn't you tell me?!"

"Uh, because I was afraid you'd kill me with one of the MANY medieval weapons if we ever had a fight… Obviously." Danny said sheepishly. Sam gave a tickled grin. "Now go open that door by the documents shelf."

"I had always wondered what that was for…" Sam murmured, running over to the far wall. Danny knelt beside his cousin, taking her in his arms, and flew over to the open door.

"You'll need to block the door so it doesn't lock us in." He added to Sam, heading towards the wood stove. He shot it with an ectoplasmic blast and the chopped cedar burst into a steady flame. With that, Danielle began to wake.

"Danny!" She smiled weakly. "I knew you would take care of me." Her voice was very scratchy and she winced with every word, looking up at her ghost cousin with green, fearful eyes.

"Don't forget me!" Sam growled as she joined them in the warmth.

"Seems as if you're getting your cryokenisis powers." Danny added to his cousin, giving Sam a humored glare.

"What's that?"

"Ice powers."

"Oh… Is that why I feel so cold?" Dani asked quietly with a shiver.

"Yeah. Just stay and warm up for awhile, I'll teach you how to control it in a bit." Danny nodded, laying her down next to the stove.

"Do you think you could do something about my arm while you're at it?"

"Your arm? What's wrong with it?"

"I think I may have dislocated it or something while trying to get here… It hurts really badly." She held up her right arm, which proved to be bent in an impossible position.

"I'll have Auslynn take care of that for you." Danny nodded. The ghost was his personal doctor, a nerdy WW2 veteran whom Danny had found to be Clockwork's apprentice. They had met during Danny's last visit to Clockwork, trying to locate a ghost doctor. It turns out; she was the only doctor to treat ghosts within the parsec.

She was easily summoned with the push of a button on Danny's wristwatch and soon she had appeared through a blue portal. Auslynn had long, dark brown hair that rippled softly down her back to the base of her spine, with pointed ears peeking out the sides of her head. Her complexion was a light turquoise that darkened around her warm opal eyes. She wasn't very ghostly, though. She had the same soft glow around her, but not the dark aura or desire to kill and destroy.

"What is it?" She asked softly, tying her hair up in a messy tail.

"My cousin, Danielle, hurt her arm." Danny answered quickly, motioning to the hybrid at his feet.

"Oh. You have a cousin with ghost powers?"Auslynn murmured quietly.

"Well… She's kind of my clone."

"What?"

"Long story. Just, take care of her arm, will you?"

"Okay, okay." Auslynn sighed bitterly, taking Dani's arm in her hands. "She's broken it, I'll need better equipment." She turned to Danny.

"Like what?"

"Certain cements, covers and the supplies for a bit of surgery, to correctly place the bone." Auslynn listed plainly.

"I'll see if I can get any of that for-" Danny was cut off rather rudely by Dani's high-pitched scream. The group looked down at her curiously, silent. "What is it?" Danny asked gently. But Dani was still squealing, doubling over in pain.

Suddenly she jumped into the air, turning intangible and phasing through the wall. "What was that?" Danny murmured.

"Weird." Sam growled.

"I'll see if she's okay." Auslynn said quietly, phasing after Danielle. Yet she didn't notice that the others hadn't heard her, all too curious to pay attention.

Dani flew silently through the crisp autumn air, breathing heavily. Out of nowhere she had begun to burn up, and she knew Danny couldn't help her with that. Now there was only one other person she knew of on the planet that could help her now.

She was reluctant to go there, not even sure if he was home, but she had to get help. She came to a large blue building, phasing through the grand doors and landing softly on the plush gray carpet. Attempting to make a cry for help, she found herself losing consciousness yet again. Just as she drifted off, she could hear the mew of a certain white cat as it waddled up.

Dani woke with a startle, finding herself on a couch with the cat snuggled tightly up to her. "Hi." She said weakly. The cat purred loudly.

Suddenly it's ears pricked, and the cat jumped down and made her way across the floor to the foot of her master.

"You're awake already?"

"Yes…" Dani murmured. "How long have I been out?"

"Only an hour or so. How are you feeling?"

"Not very good." Dani sighed.

Auslynn sat quietly outside, peering through a window. "Who's that?" She said to herself, staring curiously at the mystery ghost. He had sleek, shoulder-length black hair, skin that nearly glowed a dark blue, and dark, angular red eyes. "I wish I knew what they were saying..." She murmured to herself. Willing herself invisible, she phased inside. But it was a foolish idea.

Both of their ghost senses went off, immediately rousing them. "Danny?!" Danielle demanded.

"No…Well, umm… Sorry if I'm interrupting anything." Auslynn gave a weak smile, coming slowly back into visibility. "I was just too curious."

"You followed me?" Dani hissed. Auslynn shrugged shyly.

"Who's your friend?" She asked softly, gesturing to the unnamed ghost.

"Plasmius, Vlad Plasmius." He introduced himself proudly.

"Hi."Auslynn waved. "I'm Auslynn Bartholomew."

"Auslynn..." Vlad echoed quietly, trying to think of where he had heard that name before. "You're a ghost medic, right?"

"Yes." Auslynn nodded, starting to relax a bit. It was now that she noticed the ragged state this ghost was in. His suit was battered and a long gash ran along his left side, not to mention the matted black mess that was his hair. "Are- are you okay?" She inquired softly, her doctor instincts kicking in.

"Hmm? Oh, yes, I'm fine." He replied quietly, obviously more concerned with Danielle. "But, being that you are a doctor, could you diagnose Dani, here? She seems to have fallen very ill, and I can't quite identify the cause or condition. But I would think a trained eye could determine such?"

"Yes, of course." Auslynn nodded quickly, slightly startled. He seemed to love stating simple sentences in such elaborate ways. "You could've just said, 'can you cure her'…" She thought to herself with a tickled chuckle. Though honestly she adored dialogue presented in extravagant and extremely nerdy ways.

Danny stared quietly at his feet, thinking. "I wonder what happened."

"Do you think Frostbite will have the answer?" Sam asked. "He knows a lot about cryokenisis."

"But I know enough to help her. Why would she leave like that?"

"Hey… Where did Auslynn go?"

"Oh… I think she went after Danielle." Danny murmured thoughtfully. "I was distracted at the time."

"Hmm…So where do you think Danielle went?" Sam asked, starting back up to the living room.

"I don't know. She never tells me where she runs off to in times like this." Danny shrugged, following her up.

"I hope she's okay." Sam sighed. "From what you told me about your cryokenisis experience, it doesn't sound pleasant."

"It isn't. It's hard to control if you don't know what you're doing. I'm lucky I had a mentor."

"Hey Danny, what are you guys up to?" Jazz asked as she passed them by, on her way to the kitchen.

"Danielle was just here." Danny replied simply. Jazz froze in her tracks and turned to face him.

"Dani? What did she want?" Her blue eyes were wide with curiosity.

"She was gaining her cryokenisis abilities. She really needs my help, but she just kind of… Flew off. Dramatically, as usual."

"Are you sure it's cryokenisis? Maybe she's going through something else."

"Yeah, right! She had ice forming on her, just like I had. I'm positive." Danny hissed stubbornly.

"Whatever you say, Danny." Jazz sighed, continuing to the fridge.

Auslynn followed Danielle and Vlad silently down a long, broad hallway. Along the wood paneling were several arrays of photos, mainly of American football players and different football references that Auslynn had no hope of understanding. The others were of small trinkets probably from the college Vlad came from, like banners and jerseys.

After awhile they came to a large white door, or at least it appeared to be a door, but it had no knob or opening device whatsoever. Instead, the group simply phased through it. "I guess that keeps out humans…" Auslynn thought to herself, glancing around the new room. It was slightly oval shaped, with no windows or anything you would find in a normal room. Auslynn guessed this was some sort of lab or medical center, based on the large machinery and several white shelves stocked full of scientific devices, samples of unidentifiable organisms and other miscellaneous objects.

"Over here." Vlad pointed to a white table near the far wall. Auslynn and Dani stopped their wandering and immediately trotted over.

"Again with the examination tables…" Dani hissed silently, crossing her arms. Vlad abruptly picked her up and sat her down on the table, immediately silencing the ghost.

"Well, I can easily fix up her arm, but I don't know about the temperature disorders." Auslynn murmured.

"Alright, that's fine. You should find the supplies you need over there." Vlad pointed to an array of large white shelves. Auslynn nodded quietly and floated over to them.

"How do you think we can find them?" Sam asked quietly, still wary of Jazz's presence.

"Well… Maybe Clockwork will know?" Danny shrugged, heading back down to the portal. "Want to check?"

"It's worth a shot." Sam nodded. "Want me to call Tucker over here? He's going stir-crazy."

"Sure." Danny nodded, calibrating the portal. Sam pulled her cell from her pant pocket and quickly dialed Tucker's number.

"Hey, Tuck?"

"Yeah, what is it, Sam?"

"We're going into the ghost zone. You want to come?"

"Say no more!" Tucker replied excitedly just before the call ended.

Tucker arrived in record time, panting, still in his tux. "I'm ready, dude! Let's go!" He grinned brightly.

They jumped into the swirling portal and re-appeared in the ghost zone, giving a glance around. The murky green space was almost empty. Most ghosts had settled down and busied themselves with creating a sort of ghost society -which Danny was unsure about- but it seemed to mean well. Of course, Walker's lead wouldn't do them any good.

Danny led the two past Aragon's Kingdom, far into a bleak part of the zone. This is where the clock tower was. As of now, it was impossible to see, beyond a thick layer of ecto-nebulas. But Danny knew better. He flew carefully past the green clouds into a clearing, where the tower floated. He took his friends by their wrists and phased inside, not bothering to announce his arrival.

The blue-skinned ghost was floating silently, gazing into a portal the teens couldn't see. "Hi!" Danny waved. Clockwork looked over at him, shutting the portal off with a brief wave of his staff.

"You're wondering where Auslynn and Danielle are." He sighed, lowering his head until only his glowing red eyes were visible from under his hood. "They are not here."

"Where are they, then?" Sam asked sourly. As of this time, she still viewed Clockwork as an evil ghost, having only seen him in the dark Danny situation. Clockwork glared blankly at her.

"Auslynn, being a guardian, stands outside of time. Her entire existence is a blur in my knowledge." Clockwork answered, floating quietly over to a blank portal.

"So, in other words, you have no idea where she is?" Danny asked. "Or Dani?"

"They seem to be in close proximity to each other." Clockwork murmured. "I can't tell you anything."

"Well, thanks anyway." Danny sighed. He started towards the exit, Sam and Tucker following silently.

"Wait."

The three turned curiously back to Clockwork, eying him. "What?" Danny asked. "Is there something else?"

"When you find Auslynn, make sure she gets this." Clockwork held out a small crystal-like orb. Danny took it carefully, rolling it in his palms.

"What's that?" Tucker asked.

"She will explain to you." Clockwork murmured. "Just take care of it, do not let the shell break."

"Alright… Well I'll be going, then." Danny took his friends firmly in his grip and took off through the wall.

"Ugh… I don't like that ghost…" Sam sighed.

"Well, considering all the power he has, you should be thankful he's got good intentions." Tucker shrugged. "He's not too bad."

"Then how come he doesn't use his powers to help us? He has a better chance of finding them than anyone."

"He wants us to figure this out on our own. It's not always the best to take the easy way." Danny explained, handing the orb to Tucker. "And if someone as finicky as Auslynn can bare him, he can't be that awful."

"I guess." Sam sighed, watching Tucker pocket the mysterious object. She pushed away her curiosity and turned back to Danny. "Where to next?"

Auslynn looked through the assortment of supplies, stuffing what she needed into her numerous jacket pockets. She walked back to the table and emptied her jacket onto the free space. Taking Dani's arm, she injected an anesthetic –which Dani strongly disapproved of- and started to move the bone back into place. It wasn't broken very much, so the fitting was easy and simple. Auslynn wrapped it in a light tape and started on the cast.

Danielle had fallen asleep by the time the cast was set and drying. Auslynn stepped away from her patient and started to put her supplies back onto the shelves, barely awake. "I'll need to check it again tomorrow, to make sure it's in its proper place." She said quietly to Vlad, who had been analyzing scan reports for the last hour.

"Alright." He nodded as he walked over and took Dani in his arms, taking her out of the room. Auslynn followed, dead silent. Vlad carried on down the hall to a dark purple door. He nudged the door open with his foot and went inside, laying Dani on a beautiful queen-sized bed, tucking her into large white quilt.

"So," Auslynn murmured as Vlad joined her in the hallway, shutting the door quietly behind him. "How do you know Danielle?"

"Well…" Vlad pondered whether or not to tell her the truth. "She's sort of… My daughter." He answered quickly, starting towards a marble stairway.

"Oh. So you have a wife?" Auslynn asked on, hurrying after him. Her curiosity had taken the lead once again.

"No…" Vlad murmured. This was going to be difficult to explain.

"Is she adopted?"

"No, she's more… Synthesized."

"Oh. Interesting." Auslynn smiled as they reached the top of the stairwell. Vlad turned to face her, his face taking on a completely different expression.

"So Danielle said you followed her. From where? Where was she before?"

"Oh, at the Halfa's place." Auslynn answered without a thought.

"Daniel… She must have been searching for answers on her cryokenisis."

"But cryokenisis is supposed to be cold, she felt really feverish to me."

"She must also be obtaining pyrokenisis." Vlad sighed.

"A fire power? That sounds interesting."

"It's very dangerous as well." Vlad murmured thoughtfully. "She could easily kill herself with these new powers. She won't cooperate, either…"

"All she needs is a little training. Anything can be learned over time." Auslynn assured with a bright grin.

Danny gave a tired yawn. By now they had arrived back at Fentonworks and were sitting in the lab, answerless.

"Um… You think Valerie- miss 'any ghost activity must be documented'- will know?" Tucker shrugged.

"You shouldn't talk about your girlfriend that way." Sam giggled.

"Sure." Danny chuckled, rolling his eyes.

"She should be at Axiom labs." Tucker said as he ran upstairs into the living room. "FOLLOW!"

"I know where it is!" Danny shouted after him.

"Hey, you're going to the labs?" Jazz asked curiously, looking up from the book she was reading in the living room.

"Yes…" Danny sighed. "Just routine ghost checks."

"Okay. Be safe, little brother." Jazz shrugged as she continued reading.

"Fine." Danny growled quietly, following the duo outside. He took his two friends in either arm and took off towards Axiom.

Valerie was in her office, carefully studying her ecto-radars. The small room was crammed full of ghost related technology, wrinkled papers, and the occasional mug of coffee.

"Hey Val." Tucker gave a small wave.

"Hello." She murmured absent-mindedly. "Why are you here?"

"We need to find some friends." Danny replied. Valerie jumped at his voice.

"Danny!" She spoke with a tone of anger, but they all knew she still liked him. Just a little. "Ugh, why?"

"One of them is in critical condition." Sam hissed, her patience thinning. "Now will you help, or will we have to track them down ourselves?!"

"Okay, I get it. I'll check. Which ghosts are they?" Valerie sighed, moving sluggishly over to a large monitor.

"My cousin, Danielle, and a ghost you've never met, Auslynn." Danny listed.

"What does Auslynn look like?"

"A blue skin, with elf ears, brown hair… She wears a brown jacket..."

"Found them." Valerie announced. The trio moved in around her, staring at the monitor. Sure enough, the two ghosts were etched out in black and white pixels. "They seem to be headed towards Irving Park, but that's as far as my cameras go." She leaned in towards the screen, squinting. "Gosh, what's wrong with Dani? She looks terrible…"

"She's… well… We don't know." Danny answered quickly. "But, thanks for your help. Bye!" He took Sam and Tucker under either arm and flew intangibly through the roof.

He flew steadily on to the outskirts of town, where Irving Park sat. They landed softly in an empty field, looking around quietly. "What's in Irving Park that Danielle would be interested in?" Sam asked "It's just a forest and some picnic tables."

"Valerie said she didn't have cameras past this point. They may have gone beyond it." Tucker said with a shrug.

"What's beyond the park?" Danny murmured. "I thought it was just open plains."

"Wait… All the big houses and posh neighborhoods are out there, remember?" Sam put in with a smile. "I think I know where they went."

"Where?!" Danny demanded.

"Danielle might be headed to Vlad's old lab, to find a cure. He had a lot of crazy stuff in that place, after all."

"Oh, of course!" Danny grinned, grabbing his friends yet again and taking off.

It didn't take Danny long to re-find the old mansion. He had gone there upon many occasions, seeing what the bachelor was up to, or, nowadays, just for some old memories. The hybrid had never resurfaced after the disasteroid.

They phased inside and landed in the posh kitchen. "Where's the lab?" Sam asked, glancing around."Um… In this house?" Danny murmured. "I think we just phase through the floor. I never really saw a door while I was here."

"Then hurry up, Danny! Danielle could be in peril!" Sam hissed.

"Fine, okay. Snappy pants." Danny growled under his breath. He turned intangible, his friends tight in his grip, and slipped through the floor.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter two:

-Washington D.C.-

"Jaem, what is your estimated time to completion on the weapon?" Steranz asked into the intercom.

"Approximately eight minutes, sir." Jaem's voice buzzed back.

"I want it done in five."

"Consider it done, sir."

"Airel," Steranz turned to the agent at his left, narrowing his eyes. "Initiate plan green lemon." Airel nodded and pressed a series of buttons on his tablet.

"Sir, the fleet is ready, awaiting your signal." Arrujh stated, almost mechanically.

"Good. Ready our flyer." Steranz ordered with a small grin.

"…Well, the lights are on. She must have just been here." Sam murmured, heading towards a doorway on the far wall.

"Split up and search?" Tucker suggested with a shrug.

"Tuck. There's only one route." Danny chuckled, shoving his friend after Sam.

The trio went slowly down the long hallway, glancing inside the many rooms they passed. Finally they came to a lit room, a large white bedroom with a small lamp casting its shade's pattern across the floor. In the dim lighting, they could barely see Danielle's huddled form lying on the bed. "Dani!" Danny grinned, running over to her. She woke with a startled gasp, staring at Danny with wide green eyes.

"Danny, what are you doing here?" She asked softly.

"We came to find you." He gestured to himself and his friends.

"Oh. Well, I'm fine staying here... You might want to leave."

"Why?" Sam asked, joining Danny at the side of the bed. "He just wants to help you."

"I'm fine, I promise." Dani yawned, forcing herself into a sitting position.

"Hey… Your arm has a cast on it…" Danny murmured. "How did that happen?"

"Did you see a Doctor before you came here?" Tucker inquired.

"I really suggest you leave, Danny." Dani hissed.

"No, Dani." Danny shook his head sternly. "You need my help. But you also need to answer our questions."

"Yeah." Tucker nodded. "You're obviously hiding something from us."

"Danny, you don't understand!" Danielle whined. "I'm really doing fine by myself, you need to go!"

"Dani." Danny said in an authoritative tone. "Anytime you keep something from me, it ends badly. Just tell me what it is." Danielle looked at her cousin with panic-filled eyes. She gave a tired sigh and jumped off of the bed, hovering just above the wood floor.

"Danny." She returned his harsh tone. "Get you and your friends out of here, or I'll take desperate measures."

"Really? Like what?" Sam taunted her.

"Like THIS." Dani retorted. She stared at the three for a moment longer, drawing in a deep breath. Out of nowhere, her high-pitched screech filled the room like a sonic wave. If Danny didn't know better, he would've thought she'd achieved a ghostly wail.

"What are you doing?" Danny growled, covering his ears.

"So, how did you get such a big house?" Auslynn asked curiously.

"Well, I was once the mayor of Amity Park." Vlad replied quietly.

"Really? A ghost?" Auslynn murmured. "Or was that before you died?"

"Neither." Vlad chuckled.

"Are you saying you're an alien?"

"No."

"Then what? How are you not a ghost?"

"Auslynn, I think it's time I tell you something." He said gently as two glowing black rings appeared around his waist and engulfed his entire body. When they dissipated, he looked completely different… human. He had almost luminescent blue eyes and long white hair that had been loosely braided. He wore a battered white shirt and black slacks with holes in the knees, and dark brown moccasins on his feet. Yet the gash on his side seemed to get bigger and deeper with the transformation.

"You- You're a h-hybrid?" Auslynn stammered. "Like Danny?"

"Yes." Vlad nodded. "An accident of Jack Fenton's in 1981."

"That's incredible! Another ghost hybrid… who'd have thought?"

Suddenly the air shattered with a high pitched noise from beneath the floor. "That was Danielle…" Vlad murmured.

"I don't know what could be wrong; I made sure that the medicine I gave her would kill the pain…" Auslynn said in a rush, grabbing Vlad's wrist and phasing through the floor.

They landed in Dani's room with a quiet thud, staring at the three intruders. Dani quieted and cowered under the sheets as the teens noticed the others.

"Um, hey Auslynn." Danny waved with a curious glare. "Who's that?"

"Daniel," Vlad said quietly. "It's me."

Danny stared in disbelief at his nemesis that he'd thought was dead. He felt a rock form in his stomach, clenching his fists. Words could not describe his hatred towards this man. His eyes glowed with anger and he fired a ball of ectoplasm. Auslynn caught it quickly and absorbed it into her palm, giving Danny a confused glare.

"What's gotten into you, Danny?" She hissed.

"W- what? Do you not know who that is?" Danny growled, pointing dramatically at Vlad.

"Vlad?" Auslynn shrugged. "What are you getting at?"

"He's my worst enemy!" Danny shouted back.

"What's he talking about?" Auslynn murmured, turning to the silent hybrid beside her.

"Well, I had made some… mistakes… In my past life, but I assure you, Daniel. I've changed." Vlad replied softly.

"I doubt it." Danny grumbled, crossing his arms.

"Why?" Auslynn asked, clearly confused.

"He tried to kill my father and sister, not to mention the hundreds of time's he's tried on my life, he's tried to enslave the planet… countless acts of evil…" Danny counted off on his fingers.

"…Really?" Auslynn murmured. "But h-he claims that he's changed his ways, and I believe him." She added with an assured look. She walked slowly over to Danielle's huddled form under the sheets, gently tugging her out. "So, what is it? Why did you start screaming?"

"Well, it was… the only way I could think to get your attention." She answered softly. "A-and I was trying to scare Danny off."

"Scare me off?" Danny growled angrily. "Why? Are you honestly still with Vlad? I thought you hated him!"

"Trust me, Danny. I don't want to be here. But I knew that Vlad could –and would- help me." Dani sighed.

"And I can't because?" Danny hissed angrily.

"Because you don't have pyrokenisis." Danielle replied, shrinking back onto the bed.

"What's that?" Sam asked. "A fire related ghost power?"

"Yes." Vlad answered. "And it's very dangerous if it's not controlled." He held out his right hand as it started to glow a bright pink. Suddenly it burst into a brilliant flame of miscellaneous colors, engulfing his entire hand and forearm.

"I… I've never seen you use that power before." Danny said quietly.

"Of course not, dear boy. I have yet to master this ability, let alone wield it against anyone." Vlad sighed as the flame extinguished itself. "And this is why I am taking care of Danielle. If she isn't guided through this stage of the pyrokenisis development, it could kill her."

"How do we know that you won't kill her anyway?" Tucker put in.

"Come now, Tucker. Why would I ever lay a hand on my beloved daughter?" Vlad replied with a warm smile.

Danny grunted quietly in frustration. He remembered back only days before the disasteroid, when Danielle was captured and nearly melted down to ectoplasm. He still recalled the look of terror in the young girl's eyes as she was nearly liquefied. "I think I'll stay and keep an eye on her, make sure everything goes okay." He turned to Danielle. "And I can help with her ice powers. Deal?"

"Alright." Vlad nodded. "What of your friends?" He gestured briefly to Sam and Tucker.

"They'll stay too." Danny said after awhile. "…To keep me company. Okay?"

"That's fine."

"Well, I'm glad it's all sorted." Auslynn sighed. "But right now we have other matters to attend to." She pointed to Danielle. "Her symptoms have surfaced again." The girl sat quietly, both soaked in sweat and ice crystals forming on her hands and face.

"We need to get her outside." Vlad said quickly, shifting back into his ghost form. Signaling for the others to follow, he took Dani by her good arm and led her into flight and up through the dense structure of the building to the extensive yard. The rest of the group slowly arrived and spread out on the lawn.

"How is this helping?" Sam inquired as she and Tucker let loose of Danny's arms.

"In order for her to return to normal temperature, the energies need to be expelled." Vlad replied matter-of-factly.

"And that's done… h-how exactly?" Dani asked between shivering fits.

"Well, since your cryokenisis seems to be in power as of the moment," Vlad glanced at Danny, gesturing for him to come over. "I think it will be best if Daniel shows you."

"Umm…" Danny murmured quietly as he came beside his cousin. "I learned from Frostbite, the leader of the Far-Frozen. He told me to concentrate the energy and… kind of… throw it out of you." He explained clumsily. "To control the energy, rather than it control you."

"Okay… I think I can handle that." Dani nodded, but her eyes betrayed her doubt. She closed her eyes tightly and held her hands out as they began to glow a hazy blue. The others took a wary step back, watching her struggle to focus the energy into her hands.

Suddenly the radiance exploded into a fountain of crystal-like ice, claiming the ground around her. It continued to flow out of her until the lawn had become a lake of dazzling ice.

Dani opened her eyes, their usual green hue swamped by a luminescent blue. "I- I did it!" She squealed. She shot a ball of ectoplasm from her hand and the ice shattered, vaporizing into the air.

"Great!" Danny grinned. "I'll teach you more later, but for now I think you need to learn about pyrokenisis." Danielle nodded, turning to Vlad.

"What's first?" She asked eagerly.

"Just take a deep breath and keep calm." Vlad said softly. "Your movements have to be steady to concentrate the energy. Any random fluctuations could cause you to lose control and it could kill you."

"Alright." Danielle nodded. She quieted, forcing herself into a near-stupor. Quickly her hands glowed pink, engulfing her forearms.

"And focus the burning sensation into your hands." Vlad murmured.

Danielle grunted, pain sparking through her arms as they burst into flame. She shrieked, the fire beginning to grow. "H-how do I stop it?!" She whined. She panicked and the fire got away from her, burning her arms and torso.

Vlad grabbed her quickly, creating a grayish vapor from his palm that smothered the flames.

"What is that?" Dani asked softly.

"A mixture of dust and water, you'll learn to fabricate it later on." Vlad sighed.

"Are you okay?" Auslynn murmured as she joined them. "Did you burn yourself?"

"Nothing exceptional." Danielle shrugged. "But I seem to be back to normal."

"Good!" Danny smiled.

"Well, I think I'm going to go practice some more." Dani sighed.

"Are you sure about that?" Sam raised an eyebrow.

"I'll be careful." Dani smiled. She concentrated and started to shape ice in her hands, molding it. "Have you ever tried to make an ice sculpture?" She asked with a chuckle.

"Well… No." Danny shook his head. "I normally just use it when fighting ghosts."

Out of nowhere, an earsplitting noise sounded from above, shaking the ground. "What-?" Danny murmured, nearly losing his balance.

"What is that!?" Auslynn asked, pointing to a white and black jet hovering above them.

"That's got to be the guys in white…" Sam growled.

"How did they find you out here?" Tucker turned to Danny with a confused look.

"Well, I've heard they've enhanced their tech. Maybe they have some sort of ghost-tracker." Danny shrugged. "But it doesn't matter. I can easily take care of these morons." He grinned, charging a blast of ectoplasm. He launched it towards the jet, watching as shielding appeared and harmlessly reflected the blast.

"Well, that could've gone better." Sam frowned.

"Who are the guys in white?" Auslynn murmured, still staring at the jet.

"A government ghost-hunting league." Vlad replied quietly.

"What are they doing here?" Dani grumbled. "I thought that after you saved the planet, they stopped coming after you."

"Obviously not." Sam sighed.

Suddenly two people materialized, wearing spotless white uniforms and ecto-blasters in hand. "Danny Phantom?" One of them asked, a dark man with a thin black mustache.

"What do you want?" Danny hissed.

"You are required to come with us, by force if necessary." The GIW stated blankly as more jets appeared in the sky.

"I think you know my answer." Danny smiled, crossing his arms.

"Then, under section 8, paragraph four, of the ghost elimination protocol, we are to capture and perform painful experiments on you." The other GIW piped up. They raised their guns, the barrels glowing blue as they hummed with energy.

Danny shot a beam of ectoplasm at the weapons, but found that they too were protected by shields. "Shoot…" He growled under his breath.

"Isn't that unconstitutional?" Auslynn asked, crossing her arms. "To capture someone, having done no wrong, and do horrible things to them?"

"You are ghosts, the constitution does not apply to you." The dark man mumbled back.

"Hmm. Very American of you." Auslynn shrugged.

The jets began to land around them, GIW soldiers piling out into the field with guns at the ready. As the last jet landed, a GIW in a thick alloy armor suit stepped out. Danny recognized him from one of Valerie's reports. His name was Steranz, the new head of operations for the guys in white. He was very different from the others, not only by his armor, but his shaggy blond hair, freckled face and German accent. He was probably younger than the others, but taller and much smarter. "Jaem?" He turned to one of the soldiers.

"It is ready to fire on your order." The Asian man replied.

"Now's good." Steranz grinned, glancing at the ghosts. Jaem nodded and pushed a button on his blaster. It activated a series of devices on the roofs of the jets, causing sets of large rocket-launchers to appear.

"Oh, darn…" Dani moaned.

"Run?" Danny asked with a small shrug.

"Sounds good to me." Auslynn sighed. "What direction?" The machines came to life with a loud hum, every passing moment threatening their fire.

"The trees would give us our best chance." Tucker gestured with his head to their left.

"Then we have an agreement?" Vlad asked softly.

"Yup." Sam nodded. They all exchanged glances and took off. The GIW didn't bother to follow them as the rockets fired.

Danny took Sam and Tucker under both arms and the ghosts continued on in flight.

"Those things are catching up…" Danielle murmured.

"Shouldn't we just be able to phase through them?" Auslynn asked with a confused look.

"No, GIW tech is too good for that." Danny explained.

"They're impervious to all our powers?" Dani asked, her voice getting squeaky.

"Not all." Danny smiled mischievously, dodging a random tree. "If we can get far enough ahead of them, I think my ghostly wail could destroy them."

"Not a good idea," Sam warned. "It'll completely wipe you out; you won't be able to fight the soldiers off."

"Will you people make up your mind?!" Auslynn hissed. "Limited time here, remember?"

"Do you have any ideas? I'd love to hear 'em." Sam growled.

"Too late!" Danielle shouted.

The missiles detonated with an earsplitting squeal. A blue ring was thrown out from each of the cylinders, reducing the nearby trees to splinters and frying every sign of life. The group was thrown forward, colliding brutally with the earth. As the energy died, the surrounding forest smoldering, the GIW made their approach.

Danny blinked ash away, groaning. He knew he had to get up, but his body refused to obey him. Silver rings appeared at his waist and his ghost form disappeared into Danny Fenton, hearing the other hybrids revert as well.

He could barely see the feds as they made their way towards him, guns readied. "Come on, go ghost!" The thought burned in his mind, but he couldn't focus his energy. For now, he was stuck a human.

"Ready to give up, or do you need another beating?" Steranz asked with a smug grin. Danny was quiet, staring up at the GIW.

"I'm… Not going down… without a fight." Danny wheezed. Steranz laughed.

"Alright then, take your best shot." He said menacingly. Danny tried again to morph into his ghost half, but it was pointless.

"What are you going to do to us?" He asked quietly, letting himself relax as the thought of defeat settled in his stomach.

"I'm glad you asked. You see, we plan to cut you open, examine and experiment on your innards, and sell your remains to weapons manufacturers across the globe, so they can develop advanced ghost-technology."

"Gee, that sounds great." Danny sighed.

"We can't just be giving up, can we?" Danielle asked weakly. "They're going to kill us!"

"We can't fight back… I can't even move." Danny murmured sadly.

"Hey… I can." Sam pointed out, sitting up. "Those missiles must only work on ghosts."

"Yeah, me and Sam are fine." Tucker nodded, stretching.

"Capture the humans." Steranz ordered quickly.

"Oh, poo." Sam sighed. Two GIW soldiers stepped forward and grabbed her and Tucker, dragging them back to the jets. "Danny!" She shouted before they fell out of sight.

"No!" Danny growled. "Leave them alone, they're not even ghosts!" Steranz glared at him, frowning.

"Let's get them on board and back to headquarters." He turned to the soldiers. "We've got tests to run."

"Shoot." Danielle sighed. "Now what?"

"Duck!" Auslynn murmured, though honestly she knew no one could move. A ceiling fan materialized from her palm and shot down a GIW.

"Where did that come from?" Vlad asked curiously.

"Something I should've mentioned earlier… I'm the ghost of ceiling fans." She smiled.

"You can still use your powers?" Danny said quietly.

"Well, I'm not a hybrid, like you lot." She shrugged, throwing three more blades at the advancing enemy. "But I can't move very well. What's that all about, anyway?"

"Those missiles set off basic paralysis waves. We should be recovering soon." Vlad explained.

"We need to get Sam and Tucker back." Danny growled, struggling to get to his knees.

"Danny!" Danielle whined. A soldier had her caught in a glowing blue net and was dragging her into the crowd of GIW soldiers.

"Auslynn, do something!" Danny demanded.

"I can't, I've run out of blades!" Auslynn whined. "I can only make so many in a sitting!"

"Can't you do anything else? ...Ectoplasm or something?!" He growled. Auslynn sighed and shot a ball of dark blue ectoplasm at the GIW, throwing him backwards. But another soldier was ready to take his place.

"Danny, I'm running out of options! I'm exhausted…" Auslynn whined. She could barely keep her eyes open as she continued to fight, her arms shaking.

"I think I'm starting to get my energy back, just hold on!" Danny smiled.

Steranz sighed. If Danny got his powers back, his men wouldn't stand a chance. They weren't prepared for a full-on fight. They would be destroyed. "Troops, fall back!" He shouted. They obeyed immediately, running back to the jets.

"Danny, help!" Danielle whined as she was dragged further and further away.

"Dani!" Danny shouted desperately. "Try to get out!"

"I can't move!" She yelled back.

"Quiet, ghost." The soldier growled. Dani sighed and watched as her cousin went out of vision.

Danny was quiet, staring blankly at the disappearing army. He had lost. His cousin was being dragged away, and he couldn't do anything to help her.

"Are you okay?" Auslynn asked softly.

"We have to get them back." Danny mumbled. By now the paralysis had almost completely worn off, and he was standing.

"I think that's been established." Auslynn sighed. "Are you alright, Vlad?"

"Yes." He nodded, slowly getting to his feet.

"Are you going to let me take care of that cut, now?" She smiled sweetly.

"It's perfectly fine, Auslynn." He chuckled.

"We have to get those jets!" Danny ordered.

"They'll be long gone by the time we get there." Auslynn shook her head. "We should just rest for a bit." Danny ignored her and took off running. "Well then, far be it from me to disagree with you, oh bearer of bad ideas…" Auslynn sighed. "I guess we better follow him." Vlad nodded and tailed behind her along the path of smoke and fire that led to the jets.

Danny fought for breath, forcing his legs to continue onward. Pain shot through his limbs, but he kept going. He couldn't let them get away. Not with Sam, Tucker, and Dani. He couldn't bear it, well knowing what it could lead to.

Soon the jets were in sight, starting their engines. Danny pushed himself to go faster, groaning in pain. The crafts began to lift off, one by one into the air. The last held close to the ground, loading dock still extended. Danny growled, seeing Steranz waiting for him there.

"Hello. You sure recovered quickly." The GIW smiled.

"Give me back my friends." Danny ordered.

"Calm down, phantom. We'll come back for you."

"NO! Just…" Danny stammered. Steranz chuckled quietly, turning and jumping into the jet. Danny growled, attempting to fire a beam of ectoplasm, but soon realized he was still in his human form.

"Danny, Calm down." Auslynn sighed, trotting to his side. "We'll get them back, don't worry." Danny looked over at her quietly, his face unreadable.

The jets bolted out of sight, sending a harsh wave of air across the clearing that blew dust and leaves outward and everywhere.

The debris settled around the ghosts, silence dominating the clearing. "Danny?" Auslynn asked carefully. "Are you okay?"

"No…" Danny sighed. "They won."

"They've only won if you give up, Danny. We'll get them back."

"Dead or alive?"

Auslynn stared quietly at him, confused. "You're quite a pessimist, aren't you?"

Danny shot an annoyed glare at her, frowning. "…Sorry." He sighed after awhile. "I guess I have been a little sour. Do you have a plan to get them back?"

"Well… No… not yet, anyway." Auslynn shrugged. "Vlad, what about you, you've been awfully quiet."

"Nothing yet…" He murmured, deep in thought. "But you know better than I do, Daniel, what are they going to do to Danielle?" Danny found it hard to grasp, but he could see that Vlad was very worried for Dani.

"They've never managed to capture me, I'm really not sure." Danny mumbled. "But it's not good."

"Well, anyways… They were obviously planning on coming back; we should be getting far, far, away from here, right?" Auslynn asked softly, gesturing to the sloping hills beyond.

"No. We have to wait here. I'm not going to waste a chance to get my friends back." Danny shook his head, looking up at the empty blue sky. "It's the best shot we have."

"Shouldn't we at least organize some sort of plan?"

"Sure. You can."

Auslynn sighed. "Danny, I know you're under a lot of stress, but you can't honestly believe we could survive another attack?"

"She's right, Daniel." Vlad nodded slowly. "They're going to have more of the missiles, and I don't think they'll dawdle around this time."

Danny stared back at the two with a frown. He knew they were right, and that victory like this was improbable, but he couldn't admit it. He hated the thought of his friends getting hurt… even killed… because of him.

The thought of that alternate future surfaced in his thoughts. Perhaps it was, just a matter of time.

"No." He said softly. "I'll save them. Even if it kills me, I'll save my loved ones."

"Danny, you're being irrational." Auslynn sighed. "Now come on, we need to be planning our next move."

The three glanced at each other in hopes of answers or ideas, but there was nothing. No plan they could ever come up with would lead to the defeat of the GIW and the safe return of their three prisoners. The GIW had thought this out too well. Their new chief had seen to that.

"Well… We're just going to have to wing it." Danny shrugged after awhile. "Any objections to that?"

Auslynn and Vlad looked at each other with questioning faces, but nodded.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter three:

The three sat quietly under the branches of a great oak. Auslynn had seen to their injuries, which were admittedly mild in comparison to the magnitude of that last fight, and they were prepared for the return of those white jets.

Danny was determined to win. His eyes were fixed on the bright summer sky, watching for any sign of the GIW return. He was worried about the possibility of their capture and death, but he would save his friends or die trying. That would save Amity Park from a ghastly apocalypse, at least… right?

Auslynn had her doubts. Neither Danny nor Vlad had experienced this sort of situation before, a no-win scenario. But she had… Of course she had, why else would she be a ghost? Her war experience told her to continue urging the frenetic teen to retreat, but she had given up on that. He was a stubborn kid.

Vlad was numb, put simply. For the past three months, he had been struggling to survive on a planet composed of war-crazy natives. He had barely been able to get away with his life, and now this. It was inconceivable, the series of events that insisted on leading to his destruction. He knew that they had absolutely no chance of survival… But oddly, he really didn't care. It was Danielle he found himself fretting over. There was no way of telling what those savage feds could be doing to her. It was insane.

Suddenly the ground started to shake vigorously, rousing the dreary trio. The hybrids shifted quickly into their ghost form, glancing around in confusion. "What's going on?" Danny murmured.

"That…" Auslynn pointed to the forest as trees began to fall. Three massive tanks appeared out of the woods, GIW soldiers pouring out from around them.

"Tanks?" Danny growled. "Really?"

"Well, this complicates things…" Vlad murmured.

Steranz appeared from the crowd, his glasses lowered to the end of his nose to reveal murky gray eyes. "I'll give you another chance, Phantom." He said softly. "Give yourself up."

"Give me my friends, scum ball." Danny hissed back. Steranz sighed and turned back towards the army.

"Don't worry about them; I'll be sure they die quickly." He chuckled, starting back to the tanks. Danny growled, his eyes glowing with anger, and shot a beam of energy at the GIW. It knocked him forwards a couple inches, but couldn't penetrate that suit of his.

Steranz laughed, continuing onward until he disappeared into the cluster of troops. As soon as he was out of sight, the soldiers began to advance.

"Sooo… What do we do now?" Auslynn murmured.

"Take out those tanks," Vlad replied quietly. "If they're not shielded." Danny nodded and fired a ball of ectoplasm at the closest one, which was absorbed by an invisible force-field.

"What else?" He sighed. But there was no time to answer, as the missiles fired.

These were short ranged, taking off with a thundering noise and cutting through the air towards the ghosts. They had only a fraction of a second to react, in which the trio erected a spherical ecto-shield around them, and then the explosives activated. The paralysis wave materialized upon ignition, but harmlessly bounced off the dome.

"We need to get out of here." Auslynn murmured, watching as the ground force started to fire their guns.

"No. We're fighting." Danny shook his head.

"Man, you're stubborn." She sighed. "Fine. But it still is and always will be a foolish idea."

The three simultaneously ceased the shield, opening themselves to fire. Danny immediately fired a wide blast of ecto-energy, taking out the frontline. Auslynn shot a couple of ceiling fan blades at the second wave, as Vlad shot concentrated blasts of pink ectoplasm. Their combined force took out a couple rows of troops, but there was scant hope for an overall victory.

Suddenly the tanks halted with a screech. The whole mass held still for a moment or two before hover craft emerged from the roofs of the tanks. They began to fire a continuous blast of plasma bolts, riddling the ground with burns.

"Run!" Danny shouted, turning and sprinting in the other direction. Auslynn and Vlad quietly followed him to a group of saplings, where they cowered from the blasts.

"Alright, now what?" Auslynn hissed.

"I don't know…" Danny sighed.

"You said you had an ability that could take their forces out?" Vlad asked.

"Yeah. But only if you two are willing to finish them off, I'll be completely wiped out afterwards." Danny explained.

"Sure. Just take out those tanks." Auslynn nodded.

Danny sighed and got to his feet. His stomach clenched at the thought of what he was about to do. His ghostly wail could destroy near anything, but it was so painful to create, and it had been quite awhile since he used it last. But he shrugged off all feelings of haste when he remembered Dani. No amount of pain he could ever feel would be worth her dying for.

The GIW continued to inch closer as Danny brought himself into the proper footing. With a large breath, he forced his ghostly wail into life.

The green waves of ecto-energy threw the tanks –along with the various soldiers- tumbling across the clearing. Danny wanted to cease and collapse, but he knew that the GIW weren't done yet. The tanks fired more missiles, despite their current situation. The bombs exploded early and Danny was unable to stop them, finally allowing himself to fall back. The waves of blue energy overtook him, and ensured that he would stay down.

Vlad erected another ecto shield around him and Auslynn, watching the waves as they bounced off harmlessly. "Well then…" Auslynn mumbled. "I guess it's our turn." She waited for the shield to disperse before jumping to her feet and running towards the fallen tanks. Vlad hesitated a moment, but soon flew after her.

Two GIW soldiers had managed to get up, and were getting their weapons ready. Engaging them was inevitable as they started firing erratically. "I take right, you take left?" Auslynn shrugged, turning to Vlad.

"Sure." He nodded.

Sam fought against the man's hold as she was forced to walk down the dark hallway. Beside her, Tucker whined incoherently. Dani trudged behind them, restraints on her wrists and ankles.

"Where are you taking us?" Sam growled.

"To see Steranz." An icy-green eyed GIW said quietly.

"That blonde guy?"

"Yes."

"Why. Why did you take us?" Sam grumbled. "We're humans."

"You were assisting the ghosts."

"I'm hungry…" Tucker moaned.

"As soon as we clear you, I promise your needs will be tended to." The man sighed as they came to a large door. He typed a code onto a silver keypad and the door slid open with an electric hiss.

The three were forced into the room and the door sealed shut behind them. Tucker collapsed into a heap, grumbling, as Sam and Dani sat beside him. "Is he okay?" Dani asked softly.

"Yes. He does this frequently." Sam nodded. "Are you?"

"Yeah. How are we getting out of here alive?" Her green eyes betrayed the fear inside her.

"Danny will get us. He… He has to."

"What if he can't?"

"Then we do whatever it takes to survive. No matter what." Sam murmured. "We HAVE to live. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Hello." A voice appeared from the other side of the room. Sam and Dani looked up to see Steranz standing there, hands crossed neatly behind him. "I just need a little information."

"You're not getting it!" Sam hissed. "Let us go!"

Steranz glared blankly at her, smiling. "I could always shoot you on the spot."

Sam jumped. She hadn't expected him to be so violent. "Uh…" She scrounged her mind for something to say, "Well, wouldn't that get blood all over your sparkling white floor?"

"I suppose. Maybe a lethal injection?"

"Why?! What could that possibly achieve?!" Dani growled. "We never did anything to you!"

"Trust me; I don't want to do this." Steranz said quietly. "But by law, every ghost is to be eliminated. And in order to do that, I need to know how to defeat your friend. He's causing a lot of trouble in our organization."

"You're not getting anything from us." Tucker joined in the resistance. "You think we'll just tell you everything if you ask politely?"

"Well, it was worth a try." Steranz shrugged. He stood and tugged a silver pistol from a hidden holster. "And by the way, Manson, I'm not a clean freak like the others." He pressed the cold barrel of the gun against her forehead and waited for a moment before asking, "Now, how do we kill Danny Phantom?"

Auslynn took out her soldier with a group of ceiling fans, pinning him to the ground. With a bolt of blue ectoplasm she knocked him out cold. "Danny?" She asked, turning to the hybrid.

"I- I'm okay…" He managed to say.

"Alright." She nodded. "Vlad?" She murmured, glancing around. "Where is he?" She spotted him on the edge of the clearing, caught under the fire of the GIW's assault rifle. Auslynn sighed and sprinted towards him, charging an ectoplasmic blast in her palms. She was almost within range when another GIW caught her off guard with a plasma grenade and sent her flying into the ground.

Vlad erected shield after shield, unsure how to deal with this resilient gunman. The soldier was quick to dodge any blast and the gun seemed to have an endless supply of bullets. This was going to be complicated. And then, out of nowhere, a loud crack rang out across the clearing and everything went black.

Auslynn jumped when she heard the noise, turning to see a tree fall abruptly on the ghost beneath it. By the shredded stump of the great oak, she could see yet another GIW with a dark grey plasma cannon in his hand. "Shoot." She sighed, finishing off her current opponent. She was about to confront the others when Danny ran past her, firing green blasts of energy.

"Just get that tree off of fruit loop, will you?" He ordered blankly. Auslynn sighed and ran over to the mess of leaves and wood. She tried desperately to move it, but it was too heavy for her. Instead she pressed her hands against the wood and shot ectoplasm through the trunk. It exploded into a storm of splinters and ecto-energy, leaving cuts all over the both of them.

"Well… Perhaps I could have done that more efficiently." Auslynn sighed as she prodded Vlad, now in his human form, with her finger.

He woke abruptly, gasping for air. After a moment or two of labored breathing, he groaned and rolled onto his side, coughing up dark blood. "Are you alright?" Auslynn asked quietly. He nodded, but gave no verbal response. "Liar." She chuckled nervously.

"Where… Where's Daniel?" He coughed hoarsely. Auslynn looked up and saw the hybrid approaching. He looked tired and a gash ran along his forearm.

"Everyone okay?" He asked, kneeling beside them.

"He won't tell me." Auslynn shrugged. "But I'm fine. Now, I'm going to bed."

"What?" Danny murmured. He hadn't realized that the sun had set and the sky was growing darker with every second. He watched her plop down on her side, using her jacket as a blanket. "Okay then…" Danny sighed. He lay back on the ground, forcing all thought away from him until sleep overtook him.

Danny woke to Auslynn shaking his shoulder. "Whaaat?" He asked lazily, swatting her hand away.

"Danny…" She looked panicked.

"What is it?" He groaned, sitting up.

"We need to get back to Amity Park, as soon as possible." She answered darkly.

"You know we can't, but why the rush?"

"Well… I woke up earlier and I noticed that Vlad was breathing weird. So, my doctor's instincts told me to seek it out. Nearly half of his ribcage has been crushed. He could have a punctured a lung." She explained quickly.

"Wait, wait, wait. What?" Danny mumbled. "Aren't you a doctor? Can't you… do something from here?"

"Um… Well… I could… But I really don't want to." She watched Danny get up and stretch.

"We can't go back to Amity. The Feds must have the place surrounded by now. You need to just do what you can."

"… Okay." She sighed, turning to the form beside her. "…Danny, I can't…" She whined. "I'm really bad at on-site work."

"Weren't you a field nurse in the war?"

"No. Not at all. I was a soldier. I decided to study to be a doctor when I became a ghost." Auslynn admitted softly. "I've never had to anything like this away from a sterile and well-stocked environment."

Danny was about to reply when a shot of energy whipped past his head. "Seriously?" He hissed. "Worst. Timing. EVER."

He turned to the approaching group of soldiers, throwing various ecto rays. Auslynn joined him, summoning ceiling fan blades with a sharp flick of her hand. The GIW continued onward, despite the ghost's efforts. "Umm… Danny, I don't think we're making it out of this one." Auslynn murmured solemnly.

"Don't you say that…" Danny growled, but he knew she was right. They were all tired and hurt, too weak to go through another vigorous fight. He felt his shoulder combust into a smoldering wound as a GIW got a lucky shot. He couldn't hold on any longer… The feds had won.

"Do you see any other options?" Auslynn sighed. "At least we can see where they took your friends."

"What, have you suddenly turned into a coward?" Danny growled. Auslynn looked over at him, looking tired.

"Sometimes cowardice is the only reasonable choice."

"Reasonable? Since when has ANY of this ever been reasonable?" Danny shouted angrily, his eyes glowing neon. "I've fought giant evil snakes and traveled through time; I've overthrown a king and turned the planet intangible! My life is never reasonable, and it always comes out for the better. But we have to fight to the finish."

"Until what finish, Danny? 'Til We're all dead? We can never win this, Danny! You can give up and have a chance to save the others or you can fight and be blown to bits." She growled, dodging a blast. "This isn't a game. There's no room for screw-ups. We have to do the right thing the first time, or everything is lost." Danny was silent, staring quietly at the ghost.

"Well, it was nice knowing you." Auslynn shrugged. She charged forwards, shooting ceiling fans and balls of ectoplasm.

Danny took a deep breath and ran after Auslynn. He wouldn't go down without a fight. He had barely shot down five of them when he heard Auslynn shriek. He turned to see her fall, a large burn across her stomach.

Suddenly Danny felt a jolt of pain in his leg and he tripped, falling on his face. There was nothing more that they could do… The GIW were ten feet away, guns hissing with energy. Danny sighed and let himself lay still, watching as their defeat approached.

And then the impossible happened.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter four:

Green waves of energy, accompanied by a thunderous roar, threw the soldiers back several yards, frying their guns and armor. The tanks lurched under the pressure, their hulls buckling. The whole place seemed to ripple and shake like the tongues of a fire. The waves ceased as suddenly as they had appeared, leaving the GIW scattered abroad.

Danny shook with fear, forcing himself onto his knees. The GIW seemed futile to the ghost he knew he faced now. "WHERE ARE YOU?!" Danny screamed hoarsely.

"Danny? What… What happened?" Auslynn murmured. "That looked like your ghostly wail…"

"Because that's what it was."

"I… I don't understand…"

"I've got to be dreaming… This is impossible…" Danny murmured to himself. "He doesn't exist…"

"Who are you talking about?" Auslynn growled as she got to her feet, wincing.

"MYSELF!" Danny shouted. "Now I've got to find him…" He jumped into the air, his eyes glowing with terror and anger. He flew to where he estimated the sound had originated from. The trees were silent.

And then he felt a shadow cast over him. He looked up, his eyes wide with fear, to see his older self floating there with a smug look. "Hello." His shadowy, gravel voice shook him to the core. His bright red eyes seemed to glow with pleasure as he watched the hybrid recoil.

"How did you escape?" Danny asked in the most composed tone he could muster.

"Honestly, Danny, you think that a pencil-thick sheet of metal and a compression field could hold me?" Dan chuckled.

"Who are you?" Auslynn asked as she flew over. "Are you related to Danny or something?"

"You could call it that." Dan shrugged. He paused, raising an eyebrow, before continuing. "I recognize your voice… You're Auslynn, aren't you?"

"Um… Yeah. How do you know that?"

"It doesn't matter. I'm going to destroy him, once and for all." Danny growled.

"I'm so confused… I do not see why you are so on edge… Did he not just save us?"

"Yeah, so he can find where my friends are and destroy them." Danny hissed. "Have you already killed my family?!"

"No, Danny, Calm down. I've no interest in that." Dan smiled. "I've come to assist you."

"Assist me?" Danny scoffed. "As if that's going to happen."

"Listen, just calm down. I can explain this all if you only-"

"No. I'm not giving you the time to do anything. I'm going to end this, and protect my loved ones." Danny growled, charging an ectoplasmic blast between his palms.

"Danny!" Auslynn hissed as he fired.

Dan deflected the blast easily with the back of his hand, releasing a heavy sigh. "It's not as if I wanted to come here." He mumbled. "Honestly I would rather be off, back in my own dimension, doing as I please."

"So why are you here, then?" Auslynn murmured.

"Clockwork." Dan chuckled. "He was prepared for my escape. The second I was out of the thermos, he caught me with a special blade. Couldn't phase through it, nor throw him off. Being inside a metal cylinder for so long had temporarily weakened my abilities, and the blade was coated in a special resin."

"He defeated you." Auslynn concluded, adding a quiet "of course."

"Yes. Clockwork was always a formidable opponent." Dan sighed. "Anyway… He threatened to kill me if I didn't come help you three."

"And you agreed? Is this some kind of joke?" Danny hissed angrily, clenching his fists at his side.

"Not so fast, kid. I don't believe you understand what you're talking about." Dan gave him a weary look, grinning a bit. "You've fought Clockwork before. Just for a few seconds. And he willingly let you escape, even then."

"What are you getting at?"

"You've never been in a real fight with that level of ghost."

"Danny… Clockwork is a very powerful ghost…" Auslynn murmured absent-mindedly. "I've never seen anyone show him up."

Danny was silent for a moment, pondering the situation. Alright, he could accept that Dan was defeated. But the malefactor would never give in to a victor's request or some such nonsense. He knew that Clockwork was capable of many things, but this was sketchy.

"Are you really going to turn down my assistance? When your friends' lives hang in the balance?" Dan smiled.

"How do I know that you won't kill them?"

"Now why would I do that? Not only would it perturb the master of time, but there is simply no use in it. Their deaths no longer hold the key to my existence."

"Wouldn't you just do it for the thrill? The fun of ending another's life? I know you. Because I know myself and I know Vlad." Danny hissed. He jumped at feeling a hand on his shoulder, turning to see Auslynn.

"Danny, calm down. Don't you remember what we are doing here? What needs to be done?" She asked softly. "Your friends are in danger. The longer we wait here, the closer they are brought to dying." Danny glanced uneasily at her. She was right, as usual. But he couldn't just shrug these tensions off. Dan was more powerful and treacherous than she understood.

"Alright." He mumbled. "Let's-" He remembered Vlad. What could they do about him? Even if he woke and insisted that he could continue, there was no possible way he would survive the coming battles with the GIW.

"I'll stay with Vlad…" Auslynn murmured. "Try to work up the courage to set his ribs."

"Then it is settled." Danny sighed. "Let's go." He gestured with his head to Dan, jumping into flight. "We'll be back as soon as possible."

"Try not to get killed." Auslynn sighed.

Sam growled softly, biting her tongue. "No." She answered plainly. "Danny's my friend. I would never give you information that could lead to his death."

Steranz smiled, much to Sam's surprise. "Well," He chuckled, straightening and holstering the gun, "If you will not provide the knowledge we require, we will simply have to find it ourselves." He turned and tapped a screen on his desk, crossing his arms behind him. The thick door slid open and two soldiers stepped in. Steranz gestured to the three. "Take the hybrid. Find any inefficiencies, but try not to kill her."

The two nodded and moved over to Dani, grabbing her and continuing back into the main room. Steranz gave a final, unreadable glance at the two teens before following with a grin. "Don't try anything funny, you two." He murmured just as his form disappeared.

Sam looked over at Tucker's huddled form, sighing. "Get up." She growled.

"But he said-"

"I don't care, Tuck. They're going to destroy Dani, we need to help her."

"How exactly are we going to do that?"

"That sphere that Clockwork gave us."

"Oh yeah, I forgot to give it to Auslynn… But won't they get angry if we open it?"

"I'm sure that they will understand. Just give it to me."

Tucker searched through his pockets until he found the small orb, tugging it into the open. "What if it's a bomb?" He murmured.

"I highly doubt that." Sam snapped as she knocked the ball from his grasp. It clattered to the floor, shattering into a mess of glimmering hexagons. Out of the reflective skin came a sparkling cloud, which took form and solidified into a dog.

"Odd." Tucker murmured. The brown creature sniffed at them curiously, wagging its tail.

"Why a dog? Why would Clockwork want Auslynn to have this so badly?"

"Well… If he knows everything, then he knew that we wouldn't get this to her, and use it ourselves. So the question is, why would he want US to have a dog?"

"Maybe it's a special ghost-dog like Cujo." Sam shrugged.

"Nah, this one doesn't look all that powerful." Tucker shook his head. "Let's see if it can do anything special."

"Fetch!" Sam ordered. The dog looked curiously at her, shifting its paws excitedly.

"Sit?" Tucker shrugged.

"Play dead?"

Still the dog stood in confusion, idle.

"Well that's getting us nowhere fast…" Sam groaned. "Let's just try and get ourselves an advantage."

"How are we supposed to do that?"

"We're in a secret government facility genuinely constructed for defending against and destroying ghosts. It's got to have some weapons lying around here somewhere…"

"Are you hearing what you're saying? Do you have any idea the amount of security this place probably has? We wouldn't make it two feet."

"They are going to KILL Dani." Sam hissed, putting her hands on her hips. "And when Danny's not here, we take up his responsibilities. This is what we agreed when Team Phantom was initiated."

"But usually we have a Fenton Thermos and all the gear we need to ensure that we have as good a chance as Danny!" Tucker whined. "All we have is this lame dog!" He gestured to the silent animal. Sam wanted to tell him otherwise, that they could find the means to save Dani, but she knew it would be a lie. Steranz had organized this well. She sighed and slumped back, hanging her head.

"I guess we'll just have to trust that Danny will get here in time." She mumbled.

Danny flew silently over the forest, struggling to keep up with Dan. His older version was much faster than him. "Do you even know where we're going?" Danny called.

"Do you?" He glanced back, arching an eyebrow.

"Yes. I've been to the GIW headquarters before." Danny mumbled. "The defenses are rather advanced, I'll have you know."

"Nothing I can't handle." Dan grinned.

"I don't doubt that." Danny mumbled under his breath. "I imagine you destroyed them in your own dimension?"

"Of course. They were the first to start a rebellion, contrary to all logic."

"Though they may have executed it foolishly, the GIW were taking the most sensible course of action. You were decimating every sign of life across the whole of the planet." Danny grumbled. "Was Amity Park the only remaining safe haven at the time I arrived?"

"Amity, Hong Kong, and Some town in Australia." Dan mumbled. "Their nuclear defenses threw me."

"So you killed billions of people, across the span of the entire globe. And you wonder why I don't trust you." Danny scoffed. "I'll never believe you actually came here to help."

"Believe what you like."

"…When we get there, I'm going to get my friends and leave as quickly as I physically can. Don't take too long." Danny quickly changed the subject. "Sam and Tucker won't have too many people guarding them, but Danielle's a different story."

"Danielle?"

"What, did Clockwork not tell you about my ghost-clone cousin?"

"Apparently not."

"Yeah… One of Vlad's more disturbing schemes." Danny shivered at the thought. "He cloned me, several times. Her version was the only stable one, the only one that didn't revert immediately back to a blob of ectoplasm."

"He did something like that in my dimension, as well. She didn't survive long, though." Dan seemed almost remorseful for a moment.

"So you still battled with the human half of Vlad?" Danny found himself asking. He couldn't believe that he was making conversation with his worst enemy, but he was curious about this alternate route in his timeline.

"If you can call that a battle, yeah. Fenton, too."

"Really? I assumed you killed him as soon as you were created."

"I let him live for a couple years. I was still weak and compromised." Dan murmured. "There it is." He pointed ahead to the GIW headquarters, only a speck on the horizon.

"Are we attempting any kind of stealth?"

"No."

"Thought not. You better know what you're doing, because if they get one scratch-"

"Calm down. You underestimate me." Dan chuckled. "I'll go ahead. There'll be a clear path by the time you arrive."

"Sure. Whatever." Honestly Danny was glad to avoid as much battle as he could.

Dan accelerated and sped towards the base, a sonic boom following in his wake.

"Sir-" Airel murmured as he entered the large lab.

"What is it?" Steranz turned to him, his arms crossed.

"There is an approaching source of ectoplasm… It will arrive in less than 20 seconds."

"Danny Phantom?"

"This one's bigger. More concentrated, a full ghost."

"Send out a welcoming party."

Airel tapped a number of miscellaneous buttons and the ground shook briefly as a group of missiles fired.

Dan laughed at their futile attempt to stop him. He cut the projectiles down easily with a blast of energy, watching them explode. "You'll have to try harder than that." He chuckled, landing at the entrance to the large white structure. He shot the door from its hinges and floated inside, glancing around. The startled staff members took a moment to get to their bearings before charging forward.

Danny halted, staring blankly at the smoking building. Part of him humored the humiliation of his enemies, and part of him feared for their lives. Hopefully Dan would hold back, knowing that his younger self would not tolerate the loss of lives. But then again there was nothing Danny could do to stop him. Though he hated to admit it, Danny was at the mercy of his foe.

"Alright, where's your prisoner?" Dan grinned, scanning the battered men for any sort of response. "Come on, if someone doesn't tell me now, I'll just have to force it out of you." He charged his fists with glowing energy.

"I-it's the third floor down…" A response squeaked out from the crowd of terrified GIW.

Dan chuckled and released the energy into the floor below him. It buckled and he lowered to the next level, and then the next. Indeed the given floor appeared to be a detention center.

A group of GIW came running with pistols, shouting into radio communicators. Dan allowed the officers a few rounds through his intangible state before confronting them. He blew them to the wall with a chain-like string of ectoplasm. "Where's your prisoner?" He asked plainly. They were silent, staring in fear at the ghost. "Nothing, eh? Well, you could always point." Still they refused to respond in any manner.

"Who are you?" A voice sounded to his left. Dan turned, finding a small form peeking around a corner. "Why do you have Danny's logo on you?"

"I presume you are Danielle?" Dan murmured. "You're smaller than I expected."

"Are you here to get me out?"

"Well, yes. You along with Sam and Tucker." He walked to her, discovering a series of glowing tubes running into her left arm, the other claimed by a white cast. "Any of these important?" He gestured to the tubes.

"No."

"Good." He began pulling them out, helping her to her feet. "Where are Sam and Tucker?"

"There's a room down that hall." She pointed. "You might have trouble getting in, though."

"Won't be a problem." He chuckled, rolling his shoulders. Dani arched an eyebrow.

"Who are you though?" She asked. "You have Danny's symbol. Are you an associate?"

"I suppose you could say that, for the moment at least." He shrugged. "I am Daniel Phantom, ten years in the future."

"Well that's confusing… What do I call you then, other than Danny?"

"I seem to have acquired the term Dan." He muttered, starting towards the hallway. "You might want to stay back for this."

"Okay, I'm good with that." Dani nodded, sitting on the polished tile.

Dan stared blankly at the white door, evaluating it. Probably six inches thick, solid steel from the look of it. Easy enough. He ran through the ways he could tear it down. The ghostly wail or a strong blast could hurt Sam and Tucker in addition. Most of his usual tactics would. It was troublesome working without casualties. He sighed and took the door by the handle and with a swift jerk, tore it from the wall, throwing it aside. He stepped in the empty shell, looking around the pristine room. "Anyone?" He called. Nothing. He continued on, looking over the walls for any hidden rooms or escape routes.

Suddenly he felt something strike his shoulder. He turned and caught the projectile in its decent. A PDA. Dan chuckled, looking the device over. "Tucker." He muttered softly.

There was a scuffling sound above him, drawing his attention. To his surprise, the two were held to the ceiling by a light brown ghost-dog. He grinned. "Hello there." He waved slightly.

"What are you doing here?!" Sam shouted. Tucker grimaced, covering his ears. The goth could be quite loud when she was scared.

"Getting you guys out of here." He chuckled.

"But you don't exist!" Tucker growled.

"Is that what you heard?" He arched an eyebrow. "Well, never mind. Are you going to come down here?"

"No!" Sam shouted. "Where's Danny? What have you done with him?!"

"He'll be here shortly. I went ahead and cleared a path. Now, come on down, we need to get going."

"No!" Sam and Tucker shouted in unison.

Dan sighed and jumped up, grabbed their feet, and forced them onto the floor. The dog floated down, whimpering. "Come on, what's the issue?"

"Uh, let's see… You're a psychotic murderous ghost from another timeline who pretty much single-handedly LEVELED THE PLANET. That seems like reason enough to resist your capture!" Sam grunted.

"I'm not trying to capture you! I don't want to hurt you or Danny!" Dan shouted.

"How can we trust you? You've tried to kill us before." Tucker retorted.

"Well he helped me…" Dani peeked in the door.

"Danielle? You're okay?" Sam smiled.

"For the most part…" She nodded, coming to their side. "Now we've got to hurry! You guys can talk this all out later; we need to get out of here."

"But where's Danny?" Sam asked softly.

"Right here." The ghost-boy waved as he trotted to the doorway. "So everybody's accounted for?"

"Yep." Tucker nodded. "Good to know you're safe, dude."

"Same goes for you two. Now let's head out!" Danny grabbed Sam and Tucker by their waists, carrying them intangibly to the surface. Dan and Dani followed closely behind, along with the dog.

The group made it easily to the outside world, gliding through the air towards the horizon. Danny let a chuckle escape his lips. It had been quite awhile since the GIW were bested so thoroughly. It was just as fun as he remembered, and twenty times as easy with Dan helping. Danny looked over at his older self, watching the pale blue-skin as he helped Danielle and the mysterious dog to keep up. Of course he still couldn't trust him. But what could he really do? Until Clockwork came to pick Auslynn up, he would be stuck with the overpowered ghost. And still he found it strange how mellow the specter was being. It didn't make sense. If Clockwork really had forced him to help, wouldn't he be angry and full of spite?

His thoughts were interrupted as Auslynn came into sight on the ground, Vlad's mangled form at her side. "What happened?" Sam asked, pointing.

"To fruit loop? A tree fell on him." Danny sighed. "According to Auslynn, it crushed some ribs and may have punctured a lung if I remember correctly."

"Is he going to be alright?" Tucker's tone was wary. "That's pretty messed up."

"I trust that Auslynn took care of him. She's a good doctor." Danny muttered as they landed.

"Pendulum!" Auslynn giggled as the dog ran to her. "What are you doing here?"

"So the dog's yours?" Sam asked softly, eyeing Vlad's unconscious figure.

"Yeah. Clockwork got him to keep me company while he's on long missions, among other things." She patted the mutt gently. "Why is he here?"

"Uhh… Well, we paid Clockwork a visit earlier –while you were gone- and he gave us an orb." Tucker explained. "We were supposed to give it to you earlier, but we forgot."

"We opened it, hoping that it could help us escape the GIW headquarters, but he didn't really obey us." Sam finished softly.

"Oh." Auslynn muttered.

"So, how's Vlad?" Danny asked. "Did you fix him up?"

"I think so, enough to let him live at least. He still needs to see a professional though, considering my lack of supplies and all." She glanced over at the unconscious form. "Are we set to head back to Amity?"

"If you're prepared for the ensuing battle." Danny growled. "Amity is just where Steranz is expecting us to go."

"Where else is there?"

"I can see if Clockwork would allow you all to stay in the tower for a while…" Auslynn shrugged. "I should have the supplies needed in my room."

"Do you have any form of contact with him?" Danny murmured.

"Well no, not really. Usually he just comes and gets me when I've completed my task. Honestly I'm surprised he let me stay so long." She shrugged, getting to her feet. "It's kind of strange, actually. Usually he's so finicky about me being gone for long."

"I suppose we could go to Vlad's, right?" Dani suggested.

"Yeah, that'll do. If the GIW didn't already consider that." Sam murmured. "So, who's going to carry Vlad?" There was a silence among the group.

"I'm good with staying right here, you know. Auslynn could just fly over and get the things she needs." Danny shrugged sheepishly.

"DUUDDEE…" Tucker whined. "I'm tired of all these plants! I require air conditioning, ASAP!"

"Hey! Plants provide the oxygen you breathe! Respect them!" Sam hissed. The two began arguing, as they always do when it comes to anything dealing with either meat or plants.

"Guys…" Danny groaned.

"You're back? …Already?" Vlad muttered as he began to stir.

"Yeah. And we got everyone out intact, surprisingly." Danny shrugged. "… You feeling okay?" It felt odd being nice to his enemy, but Auslynn acted as if the halfa was still considerably damaged.

"I think so. Certainly better than before." He nodded slowly. "Have we a new destination?"

"We were discussing that."

"Well, seeing as you're all together now, I suppose it's a good a time as ever." Dan sighed softly.

"What do you mean?" Auslynn murmured, glancing over at the specter.

"Oh, to reveal my real plot of course." Dan chuckled. He jumped into the air and pinned the Danny and Danielle to the ground with the familiar chain-like string of ectoplasm. "You see, Danny, this is all going to get VERY complicated. I suggest you settle down for the ride."

"DAN LET US GO!" Danny shouted loudly, writhing under the restraint.

"Can't do that." The ghost grinned.

"And what do you think you're doing?" Auslynn hissed. "Let them go this instant!"

Dan chuckled softly, taking the doc by the hair and throwing her into the air. She screamed and regained her balance in the sky, floating dizzily as she charged a ball of ectoplasm. "Why are you doing this?!" She growled, firing.

"Because you're the closest person to a ghost that could greatly obstruct my plans." He answered quickly, phasing through her blue projectile. "And it'll be much easier if he's busy tending to you." He grabbed her wrist tightly, pulling her to his side. She immediately tried to get away, too panicked to phase, but was stopped short by a quick electric shock. Dan cradled her now unconscious form, glancing down at the two prisoners. Danny was still struggling, but was now much more concerned with Auslynn.

"What are you doing?" Sam growled. The humans and Vlad posed no threat to him, but they continued to voice their annoyance.

"Come on, hurting a medical woman is just plain wrong!" Tucker shouted. Dan recalled his genuine fear of doctors and anything similar, and for a moment he pondered why Tucker would exclude Auslynn from this fear.

"Honestly, leave her out of this! She's no problem of yours!" Danny yelled loudly.

"That's where you're wrong." Dan chuckled softly, sinking his canines deep into the specter's neck. He nearly gagged as blood filled his mouth, making his head spin and stomach clench painfully. The shouts of the others below grew faint and he slowly pulled away, forcing down the last of the fluid he had taken. His arms grew weak and he let the girl slip out of his hands.

Seconds seemed to grow longer and sounds had faded to gentle whispers. A spark was the only clear thing in the phantom's vision, blue and growing as time drug past. But he could not identify the light as a portal until it was too late. Everything snapped into focus as he realized just who was appearing before him.

The cloaked ghost floated silently before him, glancing about with a slightly panicked look. "What did you do?" His voice was distorted, but fierce. For a moment the phantom almost tried to answer, but he quickly busied himself with flying away as fast as his disoriented form could go. He didn't want to feel the wrath of the master of time.

Clockwork watched silently as the ghost retreated. He struggled to think; a strange mass of anger and fear bubbling through him. Quickly he flew down to his apprentice, thankful that Vlad had been able to catch her. "What happened?" He demanded, taking her into his arms. "What did he do?"

"He converted her…" Vlad muttered.

"What does that mean? What just happened?" Danny asked softly as the restraints faded out of existence.

"He turned her into a plasmavore, Daniel." Vlad explained.

"A what now?"

"This will be much easier to explain at the tower." Clockwork muttered, opening a portal back to the court.

"But what about Dan? We should follow him!" Dani growled.

"No." Clockwork sighed. "We can't. And you won't be able to beat him." He disappeared into the portal, the others following silently.

"Why did you let Dan do that? Weren't you monitoring him?" Sam asked.

"Let him? What do you mean?" Clockwork hissed, laying his apprentice on a thick metal table.

"But Dan said that you forced him to help us." Tucker muttered.

"And you believed him?" The time ghost turned to face them, sighing. "That's not at all what happened. You see, he escaped from the thermos while I was at the observatory. By the time I arrived back, he had a good understanding of the tower and was ready to attack."

"But didn't you know? You said you know everything." Sam arched an eyebrow.

"Everything within time, yes. But Dan is apart from his dimension. Outside of time. I had no idea he had escaped. I was unconscious during his time with you."

"Alright. That straightens that up." Danny shrugged. "Now, what about Auslynn?"

"I'll take care of her." Clockwork mumbled. "Plasmius, There's a library two levels down, I suggest you go explain what just happened."

Vlad nodded and phased through the floor, making sure that the teens followed. Just as Clockwork had said, there was a vast library stretching across the entire floor. The group landed and Vlad immediately went to find the books he needed. "So what's a plasmavore?" Danny asked curiously.

"You're not going to like it." Vlad sighed. "But you should already know, to be honest."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Tucker piped up from the back.

Vlad stopped and chose a book from the shelf, looking over it carefully. "You would know them as Vampires." He opened the ancient book and read aloud "These creatures are not that which you know from folklore. They are indeed real, and far worse than simple bats. With the familiar abilities of ghosts, amplified tenfold…" He stopped.

"Vampires. What did I expect?" Danny shouted, throwing his hands in the air.

"Of course these only apply to awakened plasmavores." Vlad said softly, shutting the book.

"What does that mean?" Danielle muttered. "Awakened?"

Vlad sighed and pointed to his teeth. Danny was silent for a moment. "I always wondered…" He stammered.

"But it's not what you think, I don't crave blood."

"But why does Dan, and not you?" Sam put in.

"It's all about whether or not we are awakened." Vlad seemed to grow tenser. "And I don't think that Dan was before today."

"You're not making sense."

"You see, if a plasmavore has never consumed the blood of others, then they are dormant, and do not possess the bloodlust. But once they have a taste of it, the lust awakens. And once it does, it's unstoppable." Vlad explained. He grabbed another book and flipped through it.

"What about Auslynn? What's happening to her?" Dani squeaked.

"I'm trying to clear that up."

"You said 'he converted her'. So I imagine that he turned her into a plasmavore as well, right?" Tucker asked, taking one of the books for himself.

"Basically."

"Will she have the… Bloodlust?" Danny mumbled, almost inaudible.

"I don't know, Daniel. I'm trying to figure that out. But none of these books mention anything like what happened out there." Vlad closed the book and let out a heavy sigh. "I suppose we will just have to wait and see."

"Let's head back up, then." Tucker suggested, setting his book back on the shelf. Danny grabbed his human friends and they flew intangibly through the upper levels.

"How's it going?" Danny asked as he landed in the court.

"She'll stabilize soon." Clockwork sighed. "Do you have the answers you wanted?"

"Uh, sure. For the most part." Danny shrugged, walking to the table side. "Anything I can do?" He asked, staring silently at the pale blue-skin. Clockwork had bandaged the incision, but there was already a substantial amount of blood loss.

"No. You best get home and explain everything to your frantic parents." Clockwork waved a hand and one of the many monitors sparked to life, leading to the Fenton living room.

"What about Dan?"

"Don't worry, you'll figure it out. Just be wary of the Guys In White."

"Yeah. I'll do that." Danny turned to the portal. "Are you gonna take the others to their homes?"

"Yes."

"Okay… Dani? Wanna come with me?"

"Yes!" The young phantom grinned, running to her cousin's side.

"Great. I'll teach you more cryokenisis stuff." Danny nodded as the two disappeared into the portal.

Clockwork opened three other portals, one to the Manson's household, one to the Foley's, and one to Vlad's mansion. The teens stepped eagerly through the portals, but Vlad was hasty. "Dan is going to be a danger." He muttered. "You know what's going on, right?"

"Yes. I understand. I can work her through this. You've nothing to worry about, go home." Clockwork said slowly, closing the used portals. "I have all the help I need."

"And Steranz?"

"There's a time and a place for that battle to finish."


	5. Epilogue

Epilogue:

"Mom? Dad?" Danny shouted.

"Danny?" Maddie called from the kitchen. She rushed into the living room with a look of pure relief, throwing her arms around her son. Jack and Jazz soon followed.

"Where were you?" Jazz hissed. "You said you were just going to axiom labs!"

"Yeah, it got a bit complicated." Danny shrugged.

"You brought your cousin?" Jack asked.

"Yeah, can she stay here for a while?" Danny looked at his parents with pleading eyes. "She's got nowhere else."

"Well of course she can!" Maddie cooed. "But what ever happened to her arm, the poor thing!" Her attention turned completely to Danielle.

As Dani explained her journey, Jasmine took Danny to the side. "Danny?" She asked softly. "You seem upset."

"Well, yeah." He sighed. "Dan is back."

"Dan?"

"My older self, that jerk who tried to kill you guys?"

"What?" Jazz began to look panicked. "Where is he?"

"I don't know. But let's keep it low, alright?"

"But Danny-"

"Think, Jazz. If Mom and Dad find out, they'll go looking for him, and get killed."

"Okay, fine. Anything else I need to know?"

"The GIW are on my back again. But that's never really changed." Danny mumbled. "Anyway, I suggest we prepare for trouble. A LOT of trouble."

"When will that ever change?" She chuckled. "Just be safe, little brother."

"I'm not promising anything."


End file.
